Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education is crucial for our students’ success. STEM careers encompass a broad range of jobs in the physical, earth, and life sciences as well as computer science, mathematics, engineering, and health care. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment in these disciplines will grow to more than 9 million between 2012 and 2022 (Stem 101: Intro to Tomorrow's Jobs, 2014).

Here’s a question for you: Do you use essential questions in your classroom?

Here’s an essential question for you: Why should you use essential questions in your classroom?

Today, June 6, is National Gardening Exercise Day, a perfect day to remember the benefits that gardens offer students. From physical exercise to fresh produce, gardens promote a healthy lifestyle— and, according to Dan Wyrick, K-8 Elementary Program Consultant and Director of Nature by Design, gardening provides “an opportunity to be outside and interact with nature.”

I was blessed to grow up in a house with shelves of books and weekly visits to the public library. For me, a lover of books, “summer reading” was a way of life rather than a chore. For many kids, however, the situation is different, and the “summer slide” is proof of the frequent lack of summer reading among students. There are many reasons why students don’t read over the summer.

The weather is nice. The class is antsy. The countdown has begun. The students are in summer mode.

Meanwhile, as the teacher, you’re panicking slightly at all the content left to cover. With mountains of subject matter still untouched, it might seem like there’s no alternative but lectures and worksheets. Although that may be a good way to “fit it in,” it’s also a good way to lose your students’ remaining focus.

With graduation season in full swing, students of all ages are pondering their futures, making plans of study, and imagining dream jobs. But what jobs are they imagining—especially young female students? We’ve been told girls are less likely than boys to pursue degrees and careers in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) subjects.

Is this true? Well, partially.

Educational gains

Overview

As any parent or teacher can attest to, today’s students are members of the “digital generation” and spend much of their time involved in new forms of media enabled by technology, from social media sites to iPad games and mobile phone apps. Virtual reality (VR) technology presents exciting opportunities for teachers to capitalize on students’ interest in all things digital through the use of educational VR applications in the classroom.

Well-structured collaborative learning tasks are an effective way to increase student learning and motivation while establishing a classroom environment that encourages cooperation and values diversity.

Overview

The Pathways 2.0 curriculum emphasizes independent student learning.

“The more you read, the more things that you’ll know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.” —Dr. Seuss

Pathways 2.0: Journey to Excellence through Literacy!

Provides instruction in reading, writing, listening, and speaking. This biblically based curriculum built on the Adventist worldview and the belief that Christ is the model teacher. Pathways 2.0 recognizes the responsibility of nurturing excellence and service to others. The lessons found in each unit provide rigorous academic quality aligned with standards of proficiency in literacy.

The possibilities for the use of faith-based reading in the classroom are nearly limitless!

How can you foster the enjoyment of reading?

Shared read-aloud is a major component of the Pathways 2.0* program and research has shown that it is an effective strategy for increasing early literacy skills. Before describing the benefits of shared read-alouds, it’s important to clarify some terms:

Innovation of new technologies is constantly moving forward. In the classroom, teachers have seen the shift from the use of videocassettes and DVDs to the use of online materials, such as YouTube videos, to bring concepts alive and heighten student interest. Now, the next innovation is here: VR—virtual reality. This technology takes the audiovisual experience to a whole new level.

What is project-based learning (PBL)? How can I incorporate PBL into my classroom? To answer the first question simply, PBL is the act of learning through identifying a real-world problem and developing its solution. Students show what they learn as they move through the project, not just at the end.

Did you drive or ride in a car today? Are you using a computer or tablet to read this blog? Have you eaten a piece of fruit today? Have you visited a doctor or dentist recently?

“Teacher, Teacher, What made that happen?”

At some point in their lives, most students want to become a teacher because it is one of the first career choices they are exposed to. Some students even view teaching as an easy job. Have you ever considered letting your students test out teaching as a career choice? This could be done at any grade level, with younger students likely needing a bit more guidance than your middle or high school students.

In my last blog I talked about my sister and brother attempting to keep milkshakes cool by putting them in a hot closet and having a fan blow on them.

I often tell my students that children are born scientists.  They come into the world wanting to find out how things work. Then, over the years, the educational system takes this natural curiosity away and replaces it with a curriculum that tells students what educational officials think the students should know.  The result is that students quit seeing science as something that is useful and see it as just another subject in school to get a good grade in. 

According to Stiggins and Chappuis (2012), there are four keys to assessment quality:  clear purpose, clear targets, sound design, and effective communication. 

Did you know that every third bite of food we eat is a result of pollinators?

It’s true! Bees, butterflies, birds, and other pollinators help grow our food, keep our flowers blooming, and make our lands healthy. For many reasons, including lack of habitat, pollinators are struggling to survive.

What is your learning style? Can you identify the preferred learning style of each of your students?

If you give it some thought, it is more than likely that every possible learning style preference is represented in your classroom. That can make it difficult to provide a successful learning environment for all of your students, but there is one method that will have all of your students covered.

“Working with Kendall Hunt Publishing to Customize Our Curriculum Has Exceeded Our Expectations!"

Many educators often experience frustration when trying to find the perfect curriculum for their needs.  When currently published curriculum offerings just don’t measure up to the standards that you have set for your classroom, custom publishing is a fantastic solution to get exactly what you need.

Get ‘EM OUT!

STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) has become a major focus for education in the United States, and with good cause, given the decline in America’s world rank in these subject areas. Teaching STEM subjects can seem daunting if you don’t have a degree or certificate in one of these areas, but you don’t have to be a science major to provide solid STEM curriculum to your students.

As the weather gets colder and students spend more time cooped up indoors after heading home from school each day, there is no better time to stress the importance of reading at home. Encourage your students to spend some (or most) of that time reading. For some students, this will seem much more appealing than it will for others. However, you can motivate all students and help them enjoy reading outside the classroom with these strategies:

On March 23, 2015, President Barack Obama stated, “Science is more than a school subject, or the periodic table, or the properties of waves. It is an approach to the world, a critical way to understand and explore and engage with the world, and then have the capacity that world . . .” Our students’ success in the future will be dependent, not on what they know, but what they can do with what they know.

In the first year of my teaching career I learned the value of having students work together in groups. I have to admit that this was not my first choice. Initially I used groups in order to position the desks of my 39 students in a way that made student and teacher movement easier and increased student work space. The downside of the group arrangement was noise level and occasional chaos.

Observation and recording skills are needed for all levels inquiry. Every type of inquiry must use observation if it’s going to be successful. In addition, what students have observed must be recorded accurately. Good scientists record their data. This is what the Student Science Journal is used for in the By Design Science series.

All sights were set on Nashville at the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) conference. NSTA celebrated their 64th annual conference, March 31-April 3, with over 7,800 in attendance. Attendees gathered to view the featured new editions of Forensics and BSCS: Biology, A Human Approach. Barbara Ball, author of Forensics, presented during the conference and also spent time in the booth touting her new edition.